


Daddy Made a Soldier Out of Me

by crylorenaissance



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Mentions of past abuse, Ravager antics, Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Spoilers, the bad dads club
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-02-12 09:37:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12956451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crylorenaissance/pseuds/crylorenaissance
Summary: (formerly "Gaylah and Hela Work Through Their Daddy Issues." I looked up the lyrics to Daddy Lessons by Beyonce and am having a lyric from that be the official title but I'm keeping the original here bc I like it)So, this is supposed to take place in about 3 years after the fight with Ego and features the same OCs from Green Like American Money.Jaylah is trying to find independence for once in her life and finds that with an unlikely partner who also has unresolved issues with her family. There are going to be a lot of flashbacks to when Jaylah was younger and a few for Hela.





	1. Chapter 1

They didn’t quite remember how they got here, but they hadn't been to a good party in a while.

All the colors and lights were like a cleaner Contraxia. A  _ much _ cleaner Contraxia. They were only six hours in and still having a great time.

Jaylah and Nebula, however, weren't. Their perception of time was different from Jessa, Yondu and Kraglin’s. Those two thought they had all been there for six weeks.

Jessa was up sitting with the party’s host, a man who was called the Grandmaster. The only reason she was up there was to steal enough from him and then they could leave.

“Kraglin, I'm bored. Can we go back to the ship?”

“Jay, you're old enough to go by yourself and you can fly.”

Jaylah rolled her eyes and walked over to her mother briefly.

“Please stop flirting with him,” she hissed. “You have Kraglin and Nebula. You don't need him.”

“Honey, mama’s trying to rob the Grandmaster, please don't mess this up for all of us.”

“Don't call yourself ‘mama’ ever again if I'm in earshot.”

“My dear, is this your daughter? She looks so much like you.”

Jaylah groaned, took a drink off a table and plopped down next to Nebula in a corner. The drink was some sort of fancy looking cocktail. She squinted and saw Jessa had the same one in her hand. That explained the weird behavior. It was sweet but left a burning sensation in the back of her throat. It was good!

Jaylah rolled her eyes at her mother’s behavior. Jessa had her legs over the Grandmaster’s lap and was laughing at something he was telling her.

“She's doing that thing she does,” Jaylah complained when Kraglin joined them.

“That ‘thing she does’ is how we ended up with you, Jay.”

Jaylah grabbed another drink off the table next to her and threw it back before setting the glass down with a bit too much force and breaking it.

“No! Don’t bring that up!”

Jaylah suddenly gripped the sides of the bench and her eyes went wide.

“Nebula, everything’s spinning! Make it stop!”

Nebula grabbed the sides of Jaylah’s face.

“Was that drink alcoholic?”

Jaylah nodded, holding onto Nebula’s wrists.

“I’m dying,” Jaylah whimpered, leaning forward and resting her forehead on Nebula’s shoulder and starting to cry. “Everything’s moving and I’m going to die.”

“You’re just drunk. You’ve never had alcohol, especially not something that strong. This is normal.” Nebula lightly patted Jaylah’s back. “Don’t look over at your mother, while you’re at it.”

Jaylah, against her better judgement, looked at her mother.

“Why is she sitting on his lap?”

Nebula sighed and stood, picking Jaylah up and throwing her over her shoulder. She took Jaylah out into a secluded part of the hall and dropped her. Jaylah wrapped herself in her jacket and covered her head to block out all the light.

Jessa was having the time of her life deceiving this guy. Every flirtation got her closer to money and jewelry. It felt weird now that she was actually in a relationship, but they were both fine with it.

“I've had a lot of fun, but I should probably start heading out.” Jessa started to stand but the Grandmaster pulled her back down.  _ All part of the plan. Seriously hate myself, though.  _

“There's still more fun to be had!”

Jessa exchanged a look with the man to the Grandmaster’s left. She and Jaylah had talked to him when they first arrived. He was Loki, god of mischief. Jaylah warned her mother that the Grandmaster would fuck anything with a pulse. This earned Jaylah a shocked look and she told Loki he was attractive, but too old and not her type. Another weird conversation. 

_ Well, time to work my magic. _

“Is there?” Jessa asked, biting her lower lip. She stood and pulled him to his feet. “I don't know if anyone's ever told you this, but Ravagers  _ really  _ know how to show someone a good time,” Jessa added, running a hand down the Grandmaster’s arm and smiling.

_ Got him! _

Jessa slipped a note into the pocket of his robes as she pulled her jacket back on and left the room.

She called Kraglin and Yondu.

“We gotta go. Get Nebula and Jaylah if you find them before you see me.”

Luckily, Jessa found Jaylah and Nebula first.

“I told the boys we have to leave. Let's get out of here before that fucker catches us. I stole more than I should've.”

“What did you take?” Nebula asked as Jaylah sprang to her feet.

“Jewelry. I can't control myself.”

Jaylah started running back to the ship as Kraglin and Yondu left the party.

“You three get to the ship. I'll be right back.”

Jessa ran back inside and calmly approached Loki.

“Which portal do I use to get out of here and back to Xandar?”

Loki looked at the portals and pointed to one that would be about six miles from where they were.

“You, too?”

“Fuck yeah. He's not a bad lay, just not my type,” Jessa told Loki. “Thanks for the help.” She kissed him on the cheek and winked before leaving. Jaylah wasn't allowed to pilot due to intoxication so Yondu and Kraglin were firing up the M-Ship when Jessa came onboard.

“That's the portal we need,” she told them, pointing to the one Loki had shown her. “When we get back, I'll lay out what I got. We can't sell any of this, though. I did some things I'm not proud of to get this.”

Jessa saw her reflection and started trying to remove the blue and gold makeup from her neck.

The Grandmaster felt the slip of paper in his pocket and pulled it out.

_ Grandmaster- _

_ Thank you for all the units and jewelry. I am in a committed relationship with my boyfriend and girlfriend, so there's no real chance of us being together. You aren't a bad kisser, though. _

_ XX _

_ -Jessa _

That note was better than any flirtation and was soon framed and placed on his bedroom wall. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy Jaylah awkwardly flirting and not understanding when people flirt with her because it is a new experience for her. As a note, Jaylah is in her early 20s. There is a little bit of a sneak peak to Jaylah's relationships with Ronan and her mother and how different they were.

Well, that was the wrong portal. Yondu had seen something coming towards the M-ship and jerked the wheel, causing them to enter another and end up… here.

“That bridge? Gay,” Jaylah commented, looking at the glassy surface full of rainbow lights.

“Jay, what the hell?” Kraglin asked.

Jaylah pointed at the bridge and made a vague gesture.

“Where the hell are we?” Yondu shouted, his voice echoing in the metal dome.

“Asgard. The gay bridge is actually called the Bifrost, Jaylah.” Of course  _ Nebula _ knew this.

“There's no way that's what it's  _ actually  _ called, Nebula.”

Jaylah was the first one to leave the dome and step onto the bridge.

“We have to get back to Xandar,” Jessa told them, not noticing Jaylah walking across the bridge.

“Maybe get your kid before we do,” Yondu suggested.

“Jaylah! We gotta get back.”

“Unless one of you knows how this thing works, I don't think that's gonna happen. Come on.”

The past three years had been difficult for her. Jaylah had been told since she was young that she would end up like her father. A bloodthirsty military leader, infamous throughout the galaxy. In reality, she was more interested in stealing silently and only inflicting harm when needed. She didn't want to be like her father. When she was young, she had loved him. He was all she had, despite the brutal training he made her endure and the constant ridicule. Her haircut had originally been a punishment. Ronan wanted to remind her that she was not Kree. She was half Terran, the child of a deceptive Ravager whore.

_ “You are not like me, Jaylah. There is too much of  _ her _ within you. She poisoned your appearance. Get me my blade so I can cut your hair.” _

He had always insisted he do it. Jaylah had had long hair like her mother until the first time Ronan cut it. He took half, cropping it close to her skin, leaving a side cut. He had cut the rest close to her shoulder.

_ “For better fighting ability.” During their session earlier, he had gotten a handful of her hair and thrown Jaylah to the ground. _

Every time he cut the side after that, she begged for him to let the rest grow. He agreed, telling Jaylah it would serve as more of a reminder that she was her mother’s daughter and would never truly be his. The one thing he let her use as a visual reminder of him being her father was the way she painted her face. He painted her face to look exactly like the way his was done. Jaylah had kept this style until right after helping Peter and his friends defeat Ego three years ago.

Ego had reminded Jaylah too much of Ronan. He acted like he cared, only to stab you in the back and try to kill you when you rebelled.

_ “I expel thee from my mind, father of mine,” Jaylah had said, wiping her skin clean. She wasn’t going to let his memory taint her life any longer. _

It had been oddly cathartic to forget about Ronan for a while. It wasn't until someone had mentioned her resemblance to him that Jaylah realized she would always bear the shame of being his daughter.

Jaylah had grown to like her sidecut, but wanted it to be her own. She had properly shaved it with Kraglin’s help, cut it to her shoulder and used some serums she picked up at different apothecaries to style it. One of them had ended up curling it and the other gave it subtle variations in color. Her mother had teasingly expressed jealousy.

_ “If I knew that shit existed, I woulda covered my grey a long time ago. Hell, I probably would've dyed it some interesting color.” _

The crew had liked Jaylah’s new hair, too. She looked less like a Kree militant’s daughter and more like one of the stylish young women they’d met in their travels.

When she discovered that Terrans wore makeup that wasn't ceremonial, Jaylah lost her mind. Yondu, Kraglin and Jessa had managed to track down some Terran makeup in junker shops and would leave it in Jaylah’s quarters for her to find.

She had practiced on herself and Kraglin until she got her skill to her liking.

Jaylah had changed from a fearsome warrior to a glamorous Ravager who could kick anyone’s ass on command and take little damage. She really only worked to intimidate people, though. She didn't want to turn into her father. That was the last thing she wanted.

Jaylah entered the palace and was met by a burly man in armor.

“Nobody sees the queen without me knowing.”

Jaylah grabbed a dagger from its sheath on her thigh and flicked her wrist, causing it to extend into a full sword. She put the point at his throat and backed him into a wall. 

“Well, now you know we want to see the queen. Let me in.”

“Only her,” he told the other four. He followed Jaylah into the throne room. Hela was perched on her throne, polishing a sword.

“This  _ pirate  _ requested and audience with you, my queen.”

“I'm a  _ Ravager _ , asshole!”

“You may go, executioner. Tell me, what do you need from me?”

“My family needs passage back to Xandar from here, my lady.”

“I may have been imprisoned for a millennia, but I recall that Kree dislike Xandarians. You've been at war for thousands of years.”

“There was a treaty and my family is not Kree. My father may have been, but he is  _ not  _ my family.”

_ Intriguing. _ Hela stood and walked down to Jaylah, standing before her.

“Kneel.”

Jaylah dropped to one knee without a second thought.

“Tell me, darling, why are  _ you  _ negotiating this? You're young and I caught a glimpse of the others. They’re your parents and their friends. Why did they send their youngest to me?” Hela had Jaylah’s jaw in her hand so Jaylah was looking up at her. 

“Because of my charm and good looks, naturally, my lady,” Jaylah replied with a smile. “And I don't think anybody could appreciate the beauty in this room more than I.”

Hela released Jaylah and ordered her to stand.

“I will allow your request. Is there anything _ you _ want?” Hela asked, running a hand down Jaylah’s arm. 

Jaylah recognized her tone had changed but couldn't place what it was. It sounded nice, though.

“No, thank you, I'm fine!”

“Nothing?”

“Your name. I would like to know the name of Asgard’s queen.”

“Hela, Goddess of Death. And yours?”

_ Holy shit! _

“Jaylah Montgomery, first mate to Ravager captain Jessa Montgomery.”

“I would prefer ‘Jaylah Montgomery, advisor to the queen of Asgard.’ It has a nice ring, doesn't it?”

Jaylah laughed nervously and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it out a bit. 

“It does. I'll make a deal with you. Send my family to Xandar and give me frequent visitation or bring them here. I will gladly take the position, my queen.”

Hela’s lips curled into a smile.

“It’s a deal, Jaylah.”

Jaylah just didn't know how she’d tell her mom about the deal she’d just made.

Jessa was  _ pissed  _ when Jaylah told her.

“You expect me to let you just stay  _ here?!”  _

“Yes. I am an adult and I am fully capable of making my own decisions. I spent sixteen years taking orders from Ronan and I think it’s time for me to become more independent.”

When she put it like that, Jessa couldn’t argue. She wasn’t going to restrict her the way Ronan did and Jessa knew how powerful Jaylah was. She would be able to hold her own in this place.

“And she granted you visitation to us?” Jessa asked, glancing towards Hela nervously.

“Yes and she offered to host you as well.”

Nebula had her gaze locked on Hela. There must be some other motive she had to want Jaylah. Jaylah was the opposite of what one wanted in an advisor. She was too much like her mother and Yondu. Jaylah flirted with women constantly but couldn’t understand if anyone flirted with her. It was amusing, but… oh no.

“Did she seduce you?” Nebula asked lowly.

“You know I don’t understand flirtation, Nebula. I can do it, but I don’t get it when others do it.”

Jessa and Kraglin exchanged a look with Nebula. The three of them glanced at the queen, eyebrows raised.

“Jay, are you sure you wanna do this?” Kraglin asked.

“Yes. I want to find my place in this life and not base my decisions off what my family expects of me. I am not going back to the mindset I had under Ronan.”

“Then I wish you luck in your journey,” Jessa replied, tears in her eyes. “I love you, Jaylah.”

“I love you, too. All of you.”

Jaylah hugged her mother and the others joined. Upon releasing each other, Jaylah gave her mother a Ravager salute, which Jessa returned. With a turn and a flourish of her jacket, Jaylah walked towards the queen and the others followed the guard, Skurge, to the Bifrost. Nobody turned back to see the other one last time, knowing it would hurt too much.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So let's see if Jaylah can stop flirting awkwardly. (spoiler alert: she can't)  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter where there are some interesting feelings between our leading ladies.  
> Next chapter is already in the works and is going to be flashback to when Jaylah was younger to see how she left Ronan and came to become a Ravager

“You will be staying here. My quarters are next to yours, but there may be changes to your arrangement.” Hela paused, turning to face Jaylah. “And we may need to find you clothes that aren't out of the ordinary for this place.”

Jaylah had enough time to put her bag down before following Hela down to a vault. She looked at Jaylah, examining her appearance. Finding clothes would be difficult. Not a Valkyrie uniform. Those damned suits of armor were hideous.

The only things that seemed to fit Jaylah were an old pair of Thor’s pants and an old shirt of Loki’s. She was just so… tall and muscular. She had the build of a warrior, that was for sure.

“Jaylah?”

Jaylah jumped, forgetting Hela was still there. She was so silent.

“Yes, my queen?”

“Your father, was he a member of the Kree military?”

“Yes. He defected and decided he wanted to rule the galaxy, though. He trained me the same way he had been trained. He wanted me to take over for him before I rebelled. Ronan was brutal in his training, but it helped defeat him.”

That explained how she had ended up looking the way she did. Jaylah had probably trained extensively from a young age and had kept some sort of routine. No warrior in Asgard looked like  _ that.  _ They all looked weak and scrawny compared to Jaylah.

Jaylah had her back turned to Hela while she changed and only turned to face her while pulling her boots back on.

“So, do I look Asgardian enough to fit in? I mean, looking past my blue skin.”

“Everything seems to fit well, I presume?”

Damn right, it fit well.  _ Anyone  _ could see that. Hela couldn't imagine her brothers ever wearing those clothes. Well, the shirt did seem like something Loki would wear. The pants, though, were far too curve hugging to be something Thor owned at one point. Jaylah had managed to make the clothes look  _ very  _ good. 

“It all fits very nicely, my lady.”

Jaylah could see the flowing sleeves on the tunic potentially becoming an issue, but it wouldn’t be too horrible. Another part of the shirt, though.  _ That _ would be an unfixable issue. In her Ravager garb, Jaylah always wore a black scarf that covered her chest. The tunic, however, had a rather deep V-neck that had decorative laces she wasn’t able to adjust. There would be no more hiding cleavage from everyone around her.

It hadn’t been out of insecurity. Jaylah had liked the way the scarf fell and slightly hid the fact that most people who hugged her would be at direct chest height. It saved her from unwanted comments and was stylish. She had grown so accustomed to wearing scarves that having that area of her body exposed seemed unnatural.

“If your father was Kree and you are only half, what is your mother, Jaylah?”

“My mother is Terran, my queen. Her husband is Xandarian.”

“What of the others who were with you? The other woman was a cyborg, if I am not mistaken?”

“Nebula was genetically modified by her adoptive father, Thanos the Mad Titan. Yondu is Centaurian. Yondu is a friend of my mother and Kraglin. Nebula is my mother’s girlfriend.”

“And you? No partner waiting for you on Xandar or on your mother’s ship?”

“No.”

Interesting. It wasn't as though Jaylah was unattractive. Her lack of a partner was perplexing.

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe it, baby, ‘cause it's the truth.” Jaylah noticed her fault in attitude. “I apologize, my queen, that was not appropriate.”

She still had habits from her life with Ronan. Any comment or action that was out of line was given a punishment. Despite living with her mother for nearly six years, she still had that habit.

“You are forgiven.”

Jaylah was amusing to have around. Many of the things she said were obviously things she had learned from her life as a Ravager and her Terran mother. They were too informal to be anything her father ever said and didn’t seem like something a non-criminal would ever say.

Jaylah had picked up on the speech patterns of Ravagers quickly. Many of them, her mom, Yondu and Kraglin included, had similar accents. She didn’t pick up on those, but the words and phrases they used stuck early on in her time with them.

“I dine with my advisors. You will be called down when I summon for you. Until then, I have duties to perform and you can become familiar with your surroundings.” Hela turned and left the vault, leaving Jaylah to blatantly watch the way she walked.

“Damn, that’s a strut, if I’ve ever seen one.”

There was one issue with Hela leaving Jaylah alone. She didn’t have a fucking clue where she could go. So, she just sat in the vault for an hour until Skurge walked in and saw her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, the queen left without finding someone to escort me to my quarters and I have no idea where anything is in this place. She instructed me to get familiar with this place.” There was a pause. “Aren’t you going to obey the queen?”

Skurge was going to do it anyway. Even if it hadn’t been orders from Hela, he would have obeyed the alarmingly tall and muscular Kree girl. Because she scared him.

“Why didn’t you leave with the others?”

“I was offered a job here and I’m trying to find independence from my family for the first time in my life.”

Jaylah was given a lot of freedom by Jessa, Kraglin, Nebula and Yondu. They all knew, Nebula especially, that Ronan had been restrictive and abusive so they allowed her to do as she pleased without fear of consequence. However, as is typical of an abuse victim (Jessa and Nebula knew firsthand), she still feared consequences for her actions and was pretty low key in her what she did. Sure, she sneaked out sometimes to go on some whirlwind adventure when they were on planets, she’d once spent an ungodly amount of money she had earned on the rings and scarf she wore all the time, but that was about it. She was pretty well behaved for her family. The reason she wanted “independence” was really she wanted freedom from everyone in their travels recognizing her as Ronan the Accuser’s daughter. Yes, she looked exactly like her mother, but there had always been tells that Ronan was her father.

Nobody in Asgard would mention it. They had a relationship with the Kree, sure, but it was all diplomatic and  _ Ronan  _ wouldn’t have been part of it. He had defected and was never a diplomat even when he was still working with the empire. Ronan had wanted Jaylah to be like him. He planned to take over the galaxy and, when he died, have his only child take his place. That never happened. Jaylah ran away before he could get his hands on the Infinity Stone, which was what had killed him.

Skurge, though, he was familiar.

“You leave this place a lot?” Jaylah asked suddenly.

“All the time.”

“What about junker shops on Knowhere? You frequent them?”

“Yeah, got a lot of cool shit from ‘em.”

Nailed it.

“Why’d you screw us over?”

Skurge had tried making a deal with the Collector at the same time as Jessa, Kraglin , Yondu and Jaylah had been. Skurge had offered them units for what they tried selling, which they refused. He then offered a similar item to the Collector and was successful in his transaction. Jessa had gone as far as to try flirting with the Collector, but he had become immune to her charms a while ago. Their item had been better, but the price was much higher than what Skurge wanted.

“What?”

“You screwed over my family by offering shitty, but similar goods to Taneleer Tivan. We needed to make that deal and you ruined it for us by giving him your lesser product.”

That had been right before they ended up on Sakaar with, coincidentally, the Collector’s brother, the Grandmaster. They were both assholes in their own ways. Taneleer Tivan was a collector of living beings and offered to buy Jaylah once. She was an interesting hybrid in his eyes. The Grandmaster was just… gross.

Skurge escorted Jaylah back to her quarters and came back about fifteen minutes later with orders from Hela for Jaylah to join her.

Ok, this was weird. Jaylah was the  _ only  _ advisor to the queen.  _ Shouldn’t a queen have more than one? _

Jaylah shook off the feeling and sat to Hela’s right. That was the only other place with a setting, so she assumed that’s where she was to be seated.

“I understand you had a little problem with my executioner earlier. Is that true, Jaylah?”

_ Fuck. _

“There’s no use in lying. However, I do know the circumstances and you will not be punished for it.”

“Thank you, my lady. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Hela raised an eyebrow and stared intently at Jaylah.

“If he gives you trouble, I do encourage you to confront him about it. You two may be colleagues, but I’d rather not have my one advisor leaving after a day.”

“Are all members of your team treated like this or am I special, my queen?”

_ Damn me and my need to flirt with everyone! I could be  _ killed  _ for saying that! _

“I’d like to say you’re rather special from my observations earlier.”

_ God, this woman will be the death of me. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I promised a flashback and I delivered! This is an explanation of Jaylah running away from Ronan to find her mother and become a Ravager

_“Betrayal, Jaylah. How could you?”_

_Jaylah was holding her head and hunched over on the ground while Ronan ridiculed her actions on Krylor._

_“You know I keep you away from that woman for a reason. She left you, Jaylah. She didn’t even recognize you. What type of mother do you think she would be?”_

_Jaylah only let out a pitiful sob in response._

_“I’m sorry, Daddy.”_

_Ronan stood and walked over to Jaylah. She flinched when he tried to force her to look up at him._

_“And you won’t do it again?”_

_“No, I won’t.”_

_Jaylah was still in pain from what Ronan had done when he caught her talking to Captain Montgomery. He had used that damned war hammer he carried to snap her neck to the side. It wasn’t hard enough to kill. Jaylah was too valuable to him. It was, however, enough to threaten death and show her he wouldn’t hesitate if she fell out of line again. The twisting had bruised her neck and falling gave her a pretty intense concussion._

_Nebula and Gamora both stood behind Jaylah, watching the punishment Ronan gave her. It was merciful compared to what Thanos had done to them, but she was still far too young to be forced to endure this._

_“You are dismissed. You two, take her to the infirmary and clean her up.”_

_The two women waited for Jaylah to stand and she followed them out into one of the corridors of the Dark Aster._

_Nebula had a soft spot for Jaylah. She endured the torture Thanos gave her and no matter how hard she tried, she was never good enough. Jaylah tried to be what Ronan wanted her to be, but struggled with meeting his demands. She looked too much like her mother, a woman Ronan openly hated, to be good enough for him. She was just so… Terran. There wasn’t enough Kree for her to be accepted by her own father. At first, Nebula thought it was weakness when Jaylah flinched because Ronan came too close to her. She soon realized it was because of how he had always treated her. The only difference was that Jaylah actually loved her father. Until he tried to kill her, that is._

_“I’m leaving,” Jaylah told them while Nebula made sure nothing was damaged beyond repair. Gamora dropped the vial of pain reliever she had in her hands and it shattered on the ground._

_“How do you expect to do that, Jaylah?” Nebula snapped. Jaylah flinched and pulled away from her. The paint that went down her cheeks smeared onto Nebula’s hands and left a large streak across Jaylah’s face. It had already been messed up from all of the crying Jaylah had done while Ronan yelled at her. She had said countless apologies to her father, but he had persisted in screaming at her._

_“You taught me how to fly a ship, so I’m getting the hell out of here. My father just tried to kill me and I don’t want that repeated.”_

_“If you leave, Ronan will find and kill you,” Gamora hissed._

_“If I get away fast enough and can find my mother, I’ll be safe.”_

_“Absolutely not.”_

_“Nebula, I will leave whether you like it or not. I can’t deal with this anymore. I have seen my mother and I wish to stay with her.”_

_Nebula ordered her sister to leave and stared Jaylah dead in the eye._

_“There is a ship that Ronan will not miss if you take it. Be careful.”_

_“Thank you.” Jaylah pulled Nebula into a hug. It was odd. Nobody aboard the Dark Aster ever showed affection. Sure, when Jaylah was younger, Ronan had allowed the occasional hug or kiss on the forehead, but nothing else. Nebula hadn’t been shown affection ever._

_“If you ever need me to come back, find a ship called ‘The Mercury Spider.’ I will be there with my mother.”_

_“That’s a Ravager ship.”_

_“Yes, it is. Wait at least two days before telling Ronan I am missing. He’s so pissed at me that he will not care until that time. I love you and I will see you again. In this life or another.”_

_Love was considered a weakness around here, but Nebula and Jaylah did love one another. Nebula cared for Jaylah like an older sister or mother would when Ronan wasn’t around._

_“Be safe and leave as quickly as you can. Ronan is distracted and will be for a while.”_

_Nebula grabbed the back of Jaylah’s head and pressed her forehead to hers._

_They left the infirmary and went their separate ways after Jaylah said goodbye to Gamora. She wasn’t as close with Gamora as she was with Nebula, but Gamora was important to her. Gamora slipped something into Jaylah’s hand before she left._

_“I saw you looking at it on Krylor before the incident.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_Jaylah started towards her quarters to gather anything she needed and get rid of her armor. It was off putting and didn’t suit her._

_When Jaylah boarded the ship, she tried to remember everything Nebula had taught her._

_“Slow and steady.”_

_As soon as she lurched out of the hangar she tried typing the name of her mother’s ship into the coordinates. It was somehow already entered into the database._

_“That grudge of his is out of control.”_

_The ship rejected her request for entrance she she just followed them to Xandar. There was a fear eating at the back of her mind. If Ronan ever found her, he would kill her for real this time. When she found Jessa, she was with the same Krylorian man from the bar. The man escorted her back to the M-ship Captain Montgomery piloted and tried getting a few answers from Jaylah. Her origins, why she followed them, anything so he could understand why she followed_ them. _When they boarded the Mercury Spider once more, Cinder took her to the infirmary right away. She learned that Cinder was the ship’s doctor, Jessa’s first mate_ and _her stepfather. Jessa’s father, former Captain Ulysses Montgomery was married to the doctor. Ulysses sat with them while Cinder asked if Jaylah knew her mother. She stared intently at Jessa the entire time. When she had met her back on Krylor, she had been scared. Captain Montgomery was seemingly calm at the moment. Her accent was nice. It wasn’t like anything Jaylah ever heard in her travels._

_“Your daddy and I didn’t have a good relationship. We barely knew each other, actually. I used him to serve as a distraction so my friends could steal somethin’ and I didn’t want him to hurt you. I wanted to keep ya, but my lifestyle is so dangerous, I couldn’t have a baby around when people tried killin’ me on the daily. He also tried killin’ me when he found out what I did and I didn’t want him to do that to you, too.”_

_Jessa took Jaylah to a planet called Contraxia where, if she looked past all the bars and brothels, Ravagers stayed when they weren’t on missions. A sharp whistle caught Jaylah’s attention and an arrow was flying at her at an alarming speed. Before it could hit her, Jaylah caught the shaft of the weapon in one hand and found the owner._

_“An unwise choice, Captain.”_

_She recognized him from the bar._

_“Yondu, we gotta talk,” Jessa told him, dragging Yondu away by the sleeve of his jacket._

_She didn’t fit in here. Jaylah was still wearing the majority of her armor, only getting rid of the helmet. All of Yondu’s crew stared, suspicious of her. The only one who tried talking to her was Captain Udonta’s first mate. Jaylah waved him off, though, needing to focus on all the people watching her. She could tell each crew apart by what colors they wore. Except her mother’s crew and Yondu’s crew. Those two blended together since they both wore deep red. One crew wore deep blue, another green, one even wore bright yellow._

_“Yondu and I wear the same colors because my uniform is made of his and Kraglin’s old shit. I’ll talk to Stakar about findin’ somethin’ for ya,” Jessa said to Jaylah as they wove through the others. “Actually, we’ll find Aleta.”_

_Aleta was an older Ravager captain whose crew wore green. Jaylah was making note of which color went to which captain._

_“You sure Stakar ain’t around?” Jessa asked again._

_“Yes, Jessa. Stakar isn’t around this area. I know he has some supply of uniforms for each crew. Luckily you and Yondu wear the same colors. They're old uniforms from those who defected or retired.”_

_Jaylah had a feeling she knew what happened when people defected._

_“The only issue’s gonna be her size, I bet,” Jaylah told Aleta._

_“No, I’m sure something will fit. We’ve had bigger crew members.”_

_Aleta dug through the closet and pulled out a deep red jumpsuit and trench coat. Both were made from some sort of leather. The crest of the shoulder of the jacket was different from Jessa’s. It had more layers of flame._

_“The layers correspond to your generation. This jacket’s newer.”_

_When Jaylah finished putting on the jumpsuit, she didn’t feel quite right with it. The shoulders were too tight._

_“Captain Ogord? Do you have some sort of undershirt I can use?”_

_Jessa was actually the one who gave Jaylah the shirt, which was too short for Jaylah but fit her everywhere else. Jaylah tied the sleeves of the jumpsuit around her waist and put on the jacket, which, surprisingly, did fit well. Jaylah had managed to steal some of the paint she used on her body and fixed the streaky parts._

_Jessa jumped when Jaylah came back out._

_“You’re like the cool version of your daddy. Come on, I’ll get you some food.”_

_While they walked back, a man Jessa’s height stopped them._

_Jessa saluted him, hitting her chest twice with a fist._

_“Captain, you made a friend. A Kree, no less.”_

_“She’s my daughter, Stakar.”_

_So this was the guy they’d been avoiding._

Blue for Stakar.

_“Didn’t know you had a kid, Jessa. I remember you always being the baby of the crews.”_

_“Well, I’m old now and have a kid. Her name’s Jaylah and I need you to get the fuck outta my way.”_

_Stakar didn’t move._

_“Who’s the dad? She doesn’t look like Obfonteri.”_

_“Her father’s identity is none of your business, Stakar.”_

_Stakar was kind of a self righteous asshole._

_“Who was he?”_

_“That’s Stakar Ogord. He’s the founder of the Ravagers, so I guess I work for him.”_

_“I don’t like him.”_

_“Neither do I.”_

_Jessa pulled Yondu and Kraglin aside and left Jaylah with Cinder._

_“I saw Stakar stop you. Just act very casual around him and he won’t suspect anything.”_

_“I think he already suspects something,” Jaylah replied. She was staring into the distance, observing how some of the other captains interacted. The three captains looked back at her and Jaylah averted her gaze. Aleta, Stakar and the third captain shifted their gazes to Jessa and back to Jaylah._

_They beckoned her over with Cinder and the two stood before their table._

_“Your dad must be Kree if Jessa’s your mother.”_

_“Like my mother said, my father’s identity is none of your concern. So you can calm the fuck down, Stakar.”_

_Jaylah turned and walked back to her new crew._

_“That’s definitely Jessa’s kid,” Aleta added as Jaylah walked back with Cinder._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, because I'm impatient and do not understand a slow burn, we got an actual relationship from this chapter. Also Fenrir, the goodest boy in all nine realms. Enjoy!

One thing Jaylah hadn’t adjusted to on Asgard after four weeks was the fact that the soldiers were all reanimated corpses from a millenia ago. Every time she rounded a corner while accompanying the queen, she jumped back and drew one of her many weapons.

“Relax, Jaylah, they’re on your side.”

“I’m sorry, my lady.”

Jaylah had, however, adjusted to the attention she received from Hela and all of the luxuries provided to the queen’s sole advisor. Working for the crown had many benefits. All of the luxuries given to her were delivered with the same message.  _ A gift from the queen. _

One of the nights, Jaylah had a note for the queen, which she slipped under her bedroom door after dinner and waited for a summons to the meeting place she had arranged.

She waited for about half an hour and that was enough time to clean herself up. She had spent a good portion of the afternoon chasing Skurge down and ended up falling down a set of stairs, allowing him to evade her.

Jaylah raked her fingers through her hair out of habit. Whenever she was nervous, she would comb through her hair with one hand and look down slightly. When the knock finally hit her door, Jaylah opened it, expecting to see a soldier or even Skurge outside. Instead, Hela herself was outside.

Jaylah, out of habit, dropped to a knee and bowed her head.

“Good evening, my queen.”

“Walk with me.”

Jaylah rose and followed Hela down the hall. There was silence, only the sounds of their footsteps echoing on the stone walls.

“Why did you want to meet me in private?”

“I wished to address something I’ve noticed recently, my queen.”

“Go on, then.”

“I’ve noticed you reciprocate my flirtations.”

It had taken her a while to notice, but when she finally figured it out, Jaylah was ecstatic. She had learned everything she knew about flirting with women from seeing her mother talk to Nebula and watching an old tape she found in a junker shop. It was a movie called “Star Wars” and Jaylah’s favorite character was a man very similar to a Ravager by the name of Han Solo.

_ “Oh, Han’s a great character! I had the biggest crush on Harrison Ford when I was younger. Him and David Bowie.” _

_ “I don’t know who  _ either  _ of those people are, Mom.” _

But since nobody ever flirted with Jaylah, she didn’t know what it would be like to be on the receiving end. She had seen herself as undesirable for the longest time. She was larger than any woman she met in the galaxy and was often mistaken for a man due to her height and muscle mass. If it wasn’t that, they feared her. Especially when she still painted her face like Ronan. If she flirted with someone, they’d sometimes converse with her, but it never amounted to anything. This often left Jaylah feeling down in the dumps and locked in her quarters to sulk. The women she tried flirting with often went over to Jessa or Nebula to try getting action and left Jaylah at the bar. This made her start sitting in dark corners of the bars with her grandfathers to slump down in her seat and eat whatever snack they had.

“Is that so?”

It was chilly in Asgard during the evening, Jaylah suffered through it so she could finally speak to Hela privately.

“Yes, I believe it is.”

“Then, tell me, darling, why haven’t you acted on it? Do you fear me?”

“No, my lady. I didn’t act on it because I only realized it this morning.”

It was a bit embarrassing having to admit that out loud and Jaylah shuffled her feet, refusing to look at Hela and tracing the patterns on her boots with her eyes.

What she didn’t expect was for Hela to actually  _ smile  _ at her after hearing the confession.

“I see nothing wrong with that, darling. You’ve been busy adjusting to your new home and doing work for me. There has been a lot on your mind.”

“My queen, I wrote that, admittedly, cryptic note for you because I have a proposal for you. After noticing your flirtations, I’d like to pursue a relationship with my queen.”

Hela was shocked at how forward Jaylah had been and stayed silent.

_ Fuck, she doesn’t like me. Abort mission! _

Jaylah was about to speak again when she felt hands grab either side of her jaw and pull her down to Hela’s level. Jaylah felt a very cold pair of lips pressed against hers. This was a new feeling. It was unfamiliar but… nice.

After a moment of hesitation, Jaylah did her best to kiss back and wrapped her arms around Hela’s waist to lift her to her level.

“We’ll have to do some work on your skill, but there will be plenty of other things to work on as well, I assume.”

“That’d be correct, my queen.”

“If we enter a relationship, you may drop the formalities in private. Otherwise, you must keep them around the others. I wouldn’t want them assuming I play favorites.”

Hela did play favorites. It had  _ always  _ been Jaylah since she had arrived in Asgard. Everyone knew Jaylah was the queen’s favorite, but none of them knew why.

“Hela, would it be an intrusion to ask you to kiss me again?”

“No, darling, it wouldn’t be.”

In the morning, Jaylah woke up early and made her way to the throne room to await Hela’s arrival. Hela’s companion, a very large wolf by the name of Fenrir, was curled up towards the end of the room, also waiting for the queen to arrive.

When the doors opened and Hela entered, Fenrir got up and stretched while yawning and Jaylah straightened her posture before kneeling.

Hela stopped before Jaylah and offered her a hand. Jaylah pressed a kiss to her knuckles and rose to her full height. Fenrir trotted forward and plopped down beside Jaylah. He let out a whine to get Hela’s attention and she chuckled, stepping forward to pet him.

“He constantly wants attention, you must understand. The only reason he doesn’t sleep in my quarters is because he’s too large. Come on, you can pet him, too. He won’t bite unless I say.”

Jaylah laughed nervously and began stroking the fur on Fenrir’s shoulder. The ground shook slightly as he thumped his tail against the floor.

“He likes you.”

“He has good taste,” Jaylah replied.

“Indeed he does.”

The following weeks were interesting. Hela would walk through the gardens with Jaylah after dinner, they’d tell each other stories from when they were children and sometimes kiss, to “finesse Jaylah’s skill” as Hela had put it. One night it had gotten a bit more steamy than that and ended with Jaylah pinning Hela to the nearest wall and reciprocating the hickey Hela had just given her. 

“There’s no hiding that, is there?” Hela asked, checking the mark in her quarters later while Jaylah sat on the edge of her bed.

“Yours is at least on the underside of your jaw. Mine’s on my neck and there’s another on my collarbone. I can’t hide  _ either  _ of those.” She paused and looked outside. It was pitch black beyond the window, signalling to Jaylah she should go to bed. There’d been enough excitement for that night. “I’m off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, babe.”

“Good night, darling. Rest, I’ll have more things to teach you tomorrow evening if you are interested.”

Jaylah leaned down to kiss Hela before going to the door.”

“Your skill has improved exponentially, darling.”

“Thank you, my queen,” Jaylah replied with a smile before retiring to her room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how to describe this chapter. There's angst because that is the current mood.

The first time Jessa came back to visit was after Jaylah being an advisor for a month and a half.

“Darling, I would prefer you stay here and your family come to the castle before you greet them.”

Hela had sent for them on Contraxia after noticing Jaylah’s change in mood. No amount of affection or gifts had changed it, so Hela had stopped Jaylah in the hall to ask why she was so upset.

“Babe, I miss my family. Since I started living with my mom, I've barely spent a moment away from her.”

“I'll send for them. Where do you suppose they'd be?”

“Contraxia. If they aren't on the job, they'll be in Contraxia. It's a snowy planet covered in bars and brothels.”

Hela had sent some of her soldiers for them and Skurge, unreliable as he was, sent them on their way.

Hela was seated on her throne with Jaylah seated on one of the steps, her head leaned against Hela’s leg. Jaylah had her eyes closed while Hela ran her fingers through her hair.

It was nice, the life they had. Everything seemed to have calmed down in Asgard. Jaylah’s presence seemed to have a good effect on the queen and, while she still killed when Jaylah wasn't around, she had dialed the killing down.

“Darling?”

Jaylah hummed in response.

“They're here.”

Jaylah stood to await her family, earning a strange look from Hela.

“I'm sure they'll be happy for you, finding a partner and all.”

“Yeah, they  _ should  _ be, but they're also really protective over me.”

“Well, that will be common ground for us.”

Jaylah still wasn't sure how any of them, especially Jessa, would react to Jaylah’s relationship with the queen.

Yondu clapped Jaylah on the back when she told him.

“I knew you'd find someone!”

Kraglin had a similar reaction, congratulating Jaylah and actually giving her advice.

Jessa and Nebula, though, they were still a bit wary of Hela.

“Jaylah, she may not have the best intentions,” Jessa warned. Nebula agreed, but knew better than to tell Jaylah that. Nebula, out of Jaylah’s two moms, was surprisingly more relaxed. Sure, she was very cautious about everything, but she did let Jaylah have a lot of freedom.

“I've been working for her for over a month, mom. She has good intentions.”

“I highly doubt that.”

Jaylah looked at her mother incredulously. After the initial shock, she was hurt.

“Is that really what you think?”

“Jaylah, I'm worried about you.”

_ Worried.  _ That was what Jessa  _ always  _ said. She was worried Jaylah would get hurt or that she’d overhear something she shouldn't.

“Don't you think it's a little strange that she's somehow queen after her daddy died. That her brothers are trapped on Sakaar? We went back to see the Grandmaster and saw both of those boys. You know what they told us? That Odin died and that crazy bitch took over and tried to kill both of them.”

“Crazy bitch? After so many people, my father included, called you things of that nature, I'd expect better from you,  _ Captain _ . I'm happy for once in my life and I thought my own fucking mother would appreciate that.” Jaylah stormed off to the gardens and left Jessa and Nebula behind. It was so cold, the way she used her mother’s title. 

Jessa then realized what she'd said and how hurt Jaylah was.

“I'll talk to her. I agree that she may not be the best fit for Jaylah, but some of the things you said were out of line.”

Jessa ran her fingers through her hair and gripped it angrily.

“I'm so fuckin’ stupid and a shitty mom!”

“You are not and I can fix this.”

“Thanks, baby.”

Nebula could hear Jaylah crying and followed the sound. Every winding hallway reminded her of when she'd find Jaylah crying on the Dark Aster. Every time was different. Ronan had bested her in a spar, he berated her, cut her and caused her to bleed while trimming her hair, told her she wasn't good enough. Jaylah had grown up thinking she was weak and useless.

Nebula found her sitting on the stone edge of a pond, hunched over with her head in her hands.

“Jaylah.”

“Go away.”

Nebula sighed and sat beside Jaylah.

“She didn't mean those things she said.”

“Then why did she say them?”

Nebula wasn't going to lie to her.

“She's worried that the queen is using you. I, too, am worried about your wellbeing, but I have a feeling I may know you better than your mother. If you are happy, I won't interfere. If she hurts you, I will step in and that's a promise.”

Jaylah sniffled and used her sleeve to wipe away the tears that had gathered along her jaw and under her chin.

The fact that Jaylah had gotten this upset over Hela meant something. And Nebula wasn’t about to break that up unless Jaylah got hurt.

“Do you need anything else or will you be fine?”

“I think I just need some time alone. Thank you, Nebula.”

Nebula nodded and went back to Jessa, who was having a breakdown of her own.

“I’m turning into my own mother, Kraglin.”

“No, baby, you’re not. You’re worried about Jaylah and wanna keep her safe.”

“I hurt her!” Jessa sobbed into his shoulder.

“You didn’t mean it.”

Jaylah was still sitting on the edge of the pond, fiddling with the necklace Hela had given her. She was hoping reuniting with her crew would be good, but the meeting hadn’t been what she wanted.

“Darling, your family has been shown the location of their quarters.”

Jaylah stayed silent.

“There must be something wrong for you to be so silent.”

“What are your intentions for me?”

“What do you mean?”

Jaylah looked up at Hela as she sat beside Jaylah on the ledge.

“Your intentions for our relationship. Am I a toy for you to use until you grow bored of me or am I significant to you?”

That explained the crying and poor mood.

“Darling, I am not using you. I understand that, considering my position of power, it may seem like it to outsiders, but I am not. There is genuine emotion.”

Hela knew someone from Jaylah’s family had said something to her on the subject. It was expected, Jaylah was young and they were all cautious due to a life of crime, but voicing that type of opinion was just downright rude.

“Don’t say anything to my mother about me bringing that up. I don’t want to fight with her again.”

“Again?”

“Babe, I don’t want to get into it.”

“I'm going to speak to her.”

“Hela, you don't have to do that.”

“I won't bring up what you said, but I will be clear with my intentions.”

Hela rose and went to find Jessa. Jessa was still standing with Kraglin, head burrowed against his shoulder and shaking. 

“Captain Montgomery, I wish to speak to you.”

Jessa pulled away from Kraglin and wiped the remaining tears away. She was flushed and her eyes were glazed over.

“I didn't mean to say what I said to Jaylah. I'm worried about her and-”

Hela put a hand up to silence Jessa.

“I understand your worry and am here to quell that anxiety you feel. I understand that Jaylah is your only child and that her father deprived you of knowing her. You don't want to lose her again and someone like me seems to be threatening that. I intend to respect your daughter and if she chooses to leave me, I will let her go freely. Your concern isn't warranted, Captain.”

Jessa was stunned.

“Thank you. I never meant to hurt Jaylah. What I said slipped out and-”

“Apologize to her.”

“Yes, right. I'm gonna go do that.”

Jaylah had her eyes closed when Jessa entered the courtyard.

“What do you want, mom?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“I have your stride memorized.”

“Smart.”

“Thanks.”

“Jaylah, I want to apologize. I said something shitty to you and you really deserve to be happy. If you find happiness with Hela, I will respect that. I'm actually happy that you found someone.”

Jaylah opened her eyes and stared at her mother.

“I'm sorry I said some of the things I did, too.”

Well that was handled. They were both still upset, rightfully so, but they were back on speaking terms.

“Jaylah, the queen has requested your presence,” Skurge said, coming into the courtyard after dinner. Jaylah had been catching up with Nebula and Jessa. 

“Where? The throne room, I assume?”

“No, her quarters.”

“I see. Don't follow me, Skurge.”

Jessa left the courtyard calmly and broke into a sprint when she knew nobody could see her. Nebula suppressed a laugh, exchanging a knowing look with Jessa.

“Jay, where are you-?”

“Can't talk, Kraglin!”

Jaylah slid around the corner and nearly fell before calmly approaching Hela’s door and knocking softly.

“You requested my presence, your majesty?”

“Drop the formalities and get in here.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while. I apologize.
> 
> So I present to you a chapter that starts sad and ends not sad.

_ “Jaylah!” _

_ Harsh voice. Harsh light. Harsh pain. _

_ There was nothing soft about life on the Dark Aster. Everything was reminiscent of the Kree Empire’s military when they were at their height. _

_ “Jaylah, get up!” _

_ She was still lying on her back, sore from a spar against Gamora. Jaylah tried to take the hand offered to her. _

_ “No! On your own!” Ronan ordered from the side of the ring. The stone was cold and had dug into Jaylah’s back. She had hit her head first when falling since Gamora, who was much smaller, managed to get Jaylah a few inches off the ground and throw her down. _

_ “Now!” He was yelling now. Jaylah flinched but couldn't bring herself to get off the floor.  _

I am not good enough.

_ She couldn't stop the tears from leaking out of her eyes and running to her ears. _

_ “Ronan, she's hurt,” Gamora stated. She had to stay neutral in front of the others. _

_ “She is manipulating you!” _

_ Jaylah let out a sob and burst into tears. She would never be good enough to become Ronan’s successor. _

_ “Enough! On your feet!” _

_ Jaylah tried getting up but couldn't cease her crying. There was a large bruise forming on the back of her shoulder and a gash on the back of her neck. She winced with every move. Her ankle was sore and shot pain up into her leg whenever Jaylah put weight on it. _

_ “Again.” _

_ “Daddy, I can't,” Jaylah told Ronan. _

_ “Why not?” _

_ “I twisted my ankle.” _

_ “Gamora take a break. Jaylah, follow me.” _

_ Jaylah tried to follow Ronan but fell behind. He let out an angry sigh and went back to Jaylah, having her support herself on his shoulder. The infirmary wasn't far from where they all trained.  _

_ “Your skill is disappointing. It seems that you have gotten worse since I told you more of your mother’s profession. She doesn't care about you, Jaylah. Only  _ I _ care for you.” _

_ Jaylah sat on a table in the infirmary and kicked off her left boot. Her ankle was blackish-grey and hurt unlike any pain she’d felt before. _

_ “It is dislocated.” _

_ That explained the excruciating pain. _

_ Ronan grabbed her foot and made a jerking motion to pop the bone back into place. Jaylah screamed and started sobbing again. Ronan wrapped it in some sort of bandage and handed Jaylah her boot. _

_ “Back to training. Gamora is waiting and you already wasted enough time.” _

_ “I can't. Please don't make me!” _

_ Jaylah normally made her voice deeper to avoid annoying anyone and be taken seriously. In her pain, she had forgotten to do so and her voice ended up at its natural pitch. _

_ “Your voice is pathetic. You sound just like your mother without that ridiculous accent!” _

_ “I'm sorry, Daddy.” _

_ “Are you, Jaylah? You are constantly apologizing and, yet, I see no change in your actions. Your apologies are weak and meaningless.” _

_ “Like me? You always berate me when I don't live up to your cosmically high expectations.” _

_ The way Ronan turned to face Jaylah was eerie. It was slow and calculated. _

_ “Admit it, Daddy, you hate me because of my mother. I remind you too much of her.” _

_ “You are no daughter of mine.” _

_ “That's what I thought.” _

_ Jaylah entered the training room and saw Gamora doing exercises by herself. _

_ “Off to the side. Jaylah, you fight me now.” She had no time to react before being knocked flat on her back and seeing Ronan reach for his war hammer. He raised it above his head and began to bring it down.  _

Jaylah woke up with a start.

All the things she wished she’d said to Ronan. Yes, that all  _ did _ happen, but Jaylah never said those things about her mother and why Ronan hated her. He simply made her fight him and bested her, making her injuries worse and creating new ones.

Jaylah was covered in a cold sweat and shaking when she sat up. She grabbed one of the extra fur blankets towards the foot of the bed and wrapped herself in it.

“Darling, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, go back to sleep, Hela.”

Hela sat up and leaned against Jaylah’s shoulder.

“You’re upset, darling.”

“I had a nightmare about my dad. It was a flashback. But it was different. I said what I wanted and then he tried to kill me.”

Jaylah suddenly felt her chest go tight and held onto the blanket in a vice like grip.

“I never wanted to be a warrior,” she muttered, tears dripping onto the silk sheets.

Jaylah had always been too fragile to be a warrior. She had been so gentle as a child but Ronan’s training had turned her into someone she hated. He had forced her to become a warrior, feared throughout the galaxy for the armor and paints she wore. After running away from him and to her mother, she couldn’t shake her habits from being his lackey. She would intimidate people into giving them what they wanted but that wasn’t what she wanted to do. It wasn’t until Jaylah saw the fear in everyone’s eyes that she would become her father that she would only use intimidation tactics on certain occasions. She didn’t want to be him. She wanted to be soft and gentle, not an emotionally hardened warrior.

“I have to go.”

Jaylah hurriedly pulled her clothes on and slipped out of the bedroom and into her own.

She put her back to the door, sliding to the floor with tears in her eyes.

“I am not what he wanted of me.”

_ “You will never truly be a daughter of mine. You are too much like  _ her. _ ” _

“Jay?”

Kraglin had seen her while wandering around. He often had trouble sleeping after the mutiny a few years ago. All of Jaylah’s family had trouble sleeping. Nebula and Jessa from nightmares about abusive parents, Yondu from being a Kree battle slave, Kraglin from the mutiny and horrors he had seen and Jaylah from a cocktail of bad memories.

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t wanna.”

“Am I going to be like my father?”

“No, kid, you’re not gonna be like him.”

Jaylah leaned her head against the door and sighed. Everyone had always told her the exact opposite. They said she would end up  _ exactly  _ like Ronan. And she had believed them until the Ravagers had showed her she could be more than what everyone expected.

In the morning, she knocked on the door to Hela’s quarters and waited for her. Hela answered the door in a silk robe and pulled Jaylah in by the collar of her shirt with a smirk.

“I love you and I want to get married,” Jaylah managed to blurt out in between kisses. Hela froze and sat up, resting a hand on Jaylah’s stomach.

“Marriage?”

“If you want to. I just… I’ve never loved anyone before and I would like to spend an eternity by your side on Asgard.”

Jaylah placed her hand on top of Hela’s and propped herself up on one elbow. She took Hela’s hand gently and pressed a light kiss to the knuckles.

“My lady?”

“I love you, too.”

“And the proposal?”

“We will address the public this afternoon. Asgard will have a second queen.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is sad but a bit flirty at the (very) end. I also have not abandoned this work, I've just been very busy so here we are again. If you have questions, put them in the comments, I don't bite.

“So will you two have a Ravager wedding?” Yondu asked as he was on a video call with Jaylah. They had all left after Hela’s announcement to the kingdom of her engagement to Jaylah. There had been a bounty or something they wanted to pursue and they just left.

“Probably not. It will probably be a formal Asgardian ceremony and then a reception afterward. The reception will probably get absolutely insane, knowing our family.”

“I remember when Kraglin and Jessa finally announced their bein’ married. The party was crazy.”

“I know, I was there. I was the only sober one. I had never seen Nebula drink until that day.”

“ _ Their  _ wedding was even worse!”

Jaylah laughed. When Jessa and Nebula got married, it made nearly every other Ravager wedding look tame.

She ended the call before going to dinner and put the tablet back into the drawer beside her bed.

Silence. There was the distant sound of hurried footsteps against stone.

_ Slow footsteps. _

_ “Jaylah, your father won’t want you to be so slow,” Gamora warned. _

_ Hurried footsteps approached. _

_ “Ronan, we aren’t late.” _

_ Jaylah and Gamora had been looking in junker shops all morning for the Orb. They hadn’t found it, but Jaylah had found some Terran objects and bargained with the sellers to give her the lowest prices for each. _

_ One was a device to play music with files already on it. She had heard tales of her mother, the great Ravager captain, Jessa Montgomery. A Terran who was never found without music. _

_ “Did you find it?” _

_ “No. The Orb must be somewhere else.” _

_ Jaylah stayed silent, not daring to look at her father. She had been a little too brutal in training and injured one of Ronan’s favorite soldiers. Galen had a fractured shin because Jaylah had hit him in the leg after kicking it out from under him. In her defense, Galen deserved it. He had been attempting to court her before training despite Jaylah repeatedly telling him she was uncomfortable. So she tried breaking his leg. _

_ Come to think of it, Jaylah felt disgust or discomfort when any boy spoke to her. She, not knowing any better, asked her father about it that night. She had explained the situation with Galen and wanted his input on it. Ronan was no help. He didn’t know why Jaylah didn’t like boys and also didn’t understand why she hated Galen especially. _

Her life now answered those questions. She didn’t like boys because she was gay. Galen had been horrible, which  _ she  _ knew but Ronan hadn’t. In all her times of reflection, Jaylah actually missed her father. He had raised her and, while he wasn’t the best father and was harsh at times, she had still loved him. And with the way her father had raised her, Jaylah did resent her mother a bit. Jessa had trusted her with Kree rebels and they were killed for fighting Thanos when he invaded their province. And that province had been the same one where Jessa had deceived Ronan nine months before. Jaylah had only been four when it happened and she barely remembered them. Her mother wasn’t conventional in any way. Jessa, for lack of a better comparison, marched to the beat of her own drummer, but only if the drummer was willing to fuck her. While Jaylah hated how her father only called her mother a whore, she had to admit that Jessa was promiscuous. Jaylah remembered when they had been docked on Knowhere so her mother could negotiate a deal with the Collector, sitting with Carina, his assistant at the time, and trying to make small talk while they could hear Jessa and Taneleer in his office.

Ronan had told her from a young age that, upon his death, Jaylah would take his position and title. As she aged, that information hadn’t pleased her fellow trainees. Hala, one of the other Kree girls was determined to be better than Jaylah and win Ronan’s favor, but blood was everything to Kree. And Jaylah, with her father’s blood in her veins,  _ was  _ better than Hala. She wanted to make Ronan proud to make up for her failures of being so similar to her mother. Being his best trainee helped her and earned her position as third-in-command after Korath.

But she always managed to fall short. She was “too Terran,” according to the others, whenever she’d slip up and show up covered in deep black bruises.

_ “The only reason Ronan keeps you around is to have leverage over your whore mother,” Hala had told Jaylah one time. _

_ “And the only reason  _ you are  _ around is to be a training tool for me. Trust me, Hala, without me, you would not have ever made it into my father’s ranks.” _

_ “And trust  _ me,  _ Jaylah, you’ll never amount to more than being Ronan’s pawn. At least the rest of us have purpose.” _

Korath and Ronan had to break up the fight, both of them working to pull Jaylah off of Hala.

_ “You are too much like your mother, Jaylah,” Ronan muttered, cleaning a cut on Jaylah’s nose that extended across the bridge and down to her jaw. Hala had a lance that she enjoyed using as leverage against her opponents and had gotten Jaylah with it during their fight.  _

_ “I am sorry, Daddy.” _

_ “Any other trainee would be killed for this behavior, but I understand it was in defense of your honor. I will have Nebula deal with Hala later.” He paused, pulling the cloth away from Jaylah’s face. “I’m not sure what is paint and what is blood. While I know these are family markings, I suggest keeping paint off of this area of your face and keeping the wound clean.” _

_ Jaylah looked at her reflection and drew back slightly, not recognizing the girl looking back at her. That was someone else, not her. _

Jaylah knew she was a disappointment to both of her parents. A mother who supposedly never loved her and a father who expected so much.

“Darling, you’re being distant,” Hela observed, snapping Jaylah out of her trance.

“I was thinking about my father. For the first time in three years, I have thought about him.”

“What about him?”

“I was just thinking about how I stupidly loved him even though he mistreated me. And, on the complete opposite, he wanted me to be the best and possibly take his position and rank upon his death or retirement.”

Hela dismissed the servants who were waiting at the edge of the room. She didn’t want Jaylah to seem so vulnerable to them. Hela rose from her seat and knelt before Jaylah, taking her hands and intertwining their fingers. 

“Darling, your father’s expectations are no longer important. I know it has only been a recent event for you, but you need to forget how he treated you.”

“Are you not the one who encourages grudges?”

Hela paused and Jaylah laughed, leaning down to kiss her.

“My father imprisoned me for thousands of years, darling. He turned me into a weapon, used me to conquer everything he wanted and locked me away after realizing that he didn’t want such a horrible reputation.”

“And covered it with a new family.”

“Exactly. Now, if you want to hold a grudge against Ronan, go for it, but do not dwell on it. He’s dead and you no longer have to worry about him.”

Jaylah stood and helped Hela to do the same.

“Since my queen so graciously helped me, I think that she must be rewarded.”

“Well, my lady, if you deem it so, I won’t argue. Lead the way.”

Jaylah grabbed Hela’s hands and led her back to their quarters.


End file.
